Craig Rainey stabbed Lee Knowles in the bottom for the sake of £50 as a Byker drug deal ended in robbery and bloodshed

A thug who repeatedly stabbed a man in the buttocks for £50 has been jailed for more than seven years.

Craig Rainey pounced on Lee Knowles and stuck a knife in him six times as a drug deal went bad.

Mr Knowles had arranged to meet Rainey’s girlfriend in Byker, Newcastle, to buy drugs but Rainey was lying in wait to rob him.

A court heard he stabbed the victim to steal his money but lost £20 of it when it blew away.

Now Rainey, 30, of King Charles Tower, Shieldfield, has been jailed for seven years and two months after pleading guilty to robbery and possessing an offensive weapon.

A judge branded him dangerous and gave him an extended sentence, meaning he will be on licence until 2024 once he serves three-quarters of the jail term.

Judge Penny Moreland, at Newcastle Crown Court, told Rainey: “You lay in wait for him until he arrived and you were armed with a knife which you used to stab him six times in the buttocks and lower back.

“I have to ask whether you are someone who poses a serious risk of harm to members of the public.

“I form the view that you do. This offence demonstrates impulsive violent behaviour.”

The court heard Mr Knowles had arranged to meet Rainey’s girlfriend, Kirsty Johnson, near what used to be The Plough pub, in Byker and is now a Lebanese restaurant.

She took him down an archway, purportedly to meet a dealer, but Rainey was waiting.

As Mr Knowles walked along pushing his bike, Rainey jumped out on him from behind and immediately stabbed him.

Prosecutor Michael Bunch said four of the knife wounds pierced one buttock, one went in the other and a sixth penetrated his lower back.

The thug then demanded: “Give us your money.”

Mr Knowles threw down £70 but £20 blew under a bin. Rainey picked up £50 then stamped on his victim’s bike wheel, buckling it.

Mr Knowles went to a nearby restaurant and called an ambulance and police turned up.

Officers went to Miss Johnson’s sister’s home nearby and arrested him there.

Miss Johnson was also originally charged over the attack but she said Rainey had forced her to take part and threatened her.

Rainey has previous convictions include carrying a sword, knife and a cleaver.

The court heard he tried to claim the robbery had been planned by his girlfriend but charges were dropped against her.

Paul Caulfield, defending, said Rainey was high on drugs at the time and has little recollection of the attack.

Stab victim in court on same day as attacker for stealing cash from the church where he volunteered

Lee Knowles at Newcastle Magistrates

Craig Rainey’s victim burgled a church - and blamed the attack for forcing him back into heroin addiction

Lee Knowles appeared in a separate court on the same day as Rainey’s sentencing after he stole £250 from St Vincent’s Church, on Monkchester Road, in Walker.

The 32-year-old, of Church Walk House, Walker, had been working as a volunteer handy man at the church when he smashed the glass cabinet the cash was stored and made-off with it.

But the addict was quickly caught after he left blood at the scene and was identified through his DNA.

Now, he’s pleaded guilty to one count of burglary other than a dwelling at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court.

Suzanne Adcock, prosecuting, said the offence took place between June 1 and 2 this year.

She said: “Various collections are taken during various proceedings at the church and they are stored in a cupboard with glass doors.

“The defendant has entered the church and smashed the glass and stolen about £250.

“Blood was left at the scene, which is how he was identified.”

Neil Connell, defending, said Knowles had been getting treatment for a heroin addiction but had relapsed after the attack by Rainey, which left him with six stab wounds.

He said: “At the time of the offence, Mr Knowles was working on a volunteer basis at the church.

“He would do odd jobs for them. He went along to the church on the Sunday morning expecting to carry out odd jobs. When he arrived, there was nobody around in the premises and there was a door ajar.

“He went in and took come money.”

Mr Connell added: “He said temptation got the better of him because he had relapsed into heroin use.

“Earlier this year, he was stabbed six times by a man called Craig Rainey.

“It was a frenzied attack. He initially didn’t realise he’d been stabbed until he saw he was covered in blood.

“Because of the nature of the attack, he didn’t think he would survive. That, in part, led to the relapse.

“He was being treated for his addiction at Plumber Court. After he was released from hospital, he went along to the day unit and two friends of Rainey were there. They were aware he had given a statement to the police and he was called a grass and was threatened to be “done in”. As a result of that, he didn’t want to go back. He told someone at Plumber Court but they said if he didn’t come, he wouldn’t get his methadone prescription.

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